The State being named Karnataka, signifying the Kannada speaking region, was a dream from the times of the unification struggle that bore fruit only in 1973. Historians and linguistic scholars date the name “Karnataka”, or its earlier forms as referring to this region, to the Before Common Era (BCE). It was used not only as a name for this region, but also to describe the language spoken here. Both Karnataka and Kannada, have common etymology, scholars opine.
“One of the earlier references is in the Sanskrit Mahabharata (6th century BCE) while listing out various janapadas. It’s referred to as ‘Karnaataaha’ in Sabha Parva and ‘Karnatikaaha’ in Bhishma Parva. References to the word have been noted by scholars in Shudraka’s Mricchakatika (4th century CE), Varahamihira’s Kathasaritsagara (6th Century CE) as well,” said Kannada scholar and linguist Purushothama Bilimale.
